Unexpected Circumstances
by VoronKarasu
Summary: Hohenheim transfers Ed and Al to a new school under the guise of it being a good move for the both of them, however it seems that both he and Ed know more than what's being said. When the Elric's are tossed into the fray, what sort of happenings will unfold at this new East City high school? Who's a friend? Foe? What's Ed hiding and how much is he willing to let people know?
1. Transfer

_**Hello everyone. I'm VoronKarasu, but you can call me Karasu, or any sort of derivative of my full username. This is my first story for FFN and also my first Fullmetal Alchemist story. **_

_**I get more of my inspiration from Brotherhood than the original, but we'll never know what might be slipped in as a nod to either anime until we get there right?**_

_**Moving on - this is a High School Fic. I hope that you, my dear first readers, will enjoy my story. And I hope it's something that I'll continue to work on and not something I end up quitting half-way through. **_

_**I'm not sure what else I can add as an introduction... so without further dawdling**_

_**I give you**_

**Unexpected Circumstances**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

First Day – Part 1

Transfer

He walks through the hallways, each step clacks over the white tile floor, a few green tiles here and there, in a pattern. The footsteps ahead of him are his guide; the ones behind him, they step in time with his, and they catch up. He looks to his right – towards the steps that have caught up to him – to see a broad set face (at least, broader than his own), with bright, round, golden eyes, a tinge of green lightening them, and short, light, fair, golden hair- fairer than his own – fair-tan skin and a bright smile.

"Are you excited, brother?" The young, broad-faced youth asked.

"Like I told you at home, Al; yes." He smiles, softening his eyes. _Alphonse, you're always excited for everything. I hope this time... I hope things go right – for your sake._

He scratches his head, running a tanned, but fair, skinned hand over his head and the length of his long, shoulder length, golden, braided hair. Piercing amber eyes stare ahead, framed by middle-parted, chin length bangs, with a single strand defying gravity at the divide. They glance towards Alphonse, then to their guide; he regards the halls they walk in; everything is background noise to him.

_"Edward, Alphonse." A tall, broad-shouldered man called._

_"Yeah, dad?" Alphonse sounded as he and Edward enter their father's study._

_"Whaddaya want Hohenheim?"_

_The fatherly, pony-tailed blond glanced at his eldest son with hurt eyes, but quickly sighed and gathered a professional air around him._

_"You two are moving schools." He worded closing his eyes and removing his glasses to wipe them._

_"What?" Both sons asked with mild shock._

_He replaced his glasses,"Considering the school's lack of funding and competent staff, and Edward's fights" – the eldest son grumbled – "I find it in your best interest to move you to this new school. I'm sorry I didn't inform you before I made this decision final. You two will probably be sore about this, and I won't blame you for being cross with me."_

_"Well... I'm not mad. Not really Dad. It's just a little disappointing, though..."_

_"Where the hell are you movin' us to, anyway?"_

_Edward was coarser with his words, but Hohenheim didn't sense much disappointment. He completely avoided telling his feelings and Hohenheim recognized his apathy._

_"What's the catch?"_

_"What do you mean Edward?"_

_"There's more you're not saying. Spit it out."_

_Al watched the exchange with apprehension and contemplation._

_"Very perceptive as always Edward. Yes, there is more. This school happens to be close to my work, in East City, so you'll be able to get a hold of me quicker." Edward's fist tightened. "And that means the school get a great deal of help from the university – you'll have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal." Edward and Alphonse perked up at that, though Edward kept his tight face._

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><p><em>It was early morning – the sun barely peaked over the mountains and birds chirped their morning whistles. Alphonse awoke before his older brother, and watched Edward's sleeping form.<em>

At least brother rested well last night._ Al smiled briefly before hurrying to get ready so that once he woke up Edward, he wouldn't be in the way._

_"Ed. Ed, wake up." Edward continued to snooze despite Al's attempts to wake him. "Brother, wake up. We have school today," he warned gently shaking Ed's shoulder._

_Ed awoke with a yawn and tightened eyes._

_"Damn it. We have school don't we." He said with tired irritation._

_"Yep. Are you excited brother?"_

_" – Another yawn – Yeah. I guess. It'll be weird though. A new school; beginning of the second semester, too."_

_"I don't know. Something feels... different. A good different."_

_"Yeah sure. Just make sure your palpable optimism doesn't get mixed into my eggs." Ed smirked._

_Their whole exchange happening all through Ed getting ready. Didn't take long, since he takes night showers._

_The two descended the stairs into the hallway and made their way towards the kitchen where their father happened to be._

_"Dad? I thought you woulda left by now."_

_"Good morning, boys. Well, Al, since your school is so close to my work, I feel I can afford to drop you boys off now. Although, there will be some days where I must leave early and you two'll have to carpool with Pinako's granddaughter."_

_"Wait, Winry? She goes there?" Ed tried to fathom._

_"Why yes. I thought she told you when you and her were choosing school's to go to."_

_"Guess I forgot – A year and a half ago is a while back, plus we don't really talk about school stuff much."_

_"You mean she talks, you ignore, and when she asks about you, you avoid the subject." Al countered._

_"Tch- oh, shut it Al!"_

_"Ha ha ha. Isn't it great though? We at least know a friendly face, huh, Ed?" Al smiled._

_"Finish up your food quickly, and we'll set out." Hohenheim said with warm eyes and a small smile._

_"Yeah, yeah. Keep your pants on." Ed mocked._

* * *

><p><em>Tires squealed to a gentle stop. The two gold boys exited the car and Alphonse bid a good day to his father whilst Edward said nothing, preferring to face his back towards the car and his eyes glancing boredly to the right.<em>

_"Very well. Have a good day boys. They've instructed me to tell you to wait in the front office after school officially begins for the day. They'll tell you what needs to be done after that. Well... I'm off," He said after smiling one last bit and drove off._

_Al turned around and he and Ed looked at the name of the school: East City Academy High School._

_"ECAHS, huh? Sounds goofy," Ed mumbled._

_"Oh, come on Ed. Let's look around."_

_"Fine, fine."_

_There were many teenagers gathering in the school's courtyard. Friends greeting after the semester break caused a cacophony of chatter. With the other students wrapped up in their own cliques, the brothers went mostly unnoticed as they proceeded towards the front office._

_The office was filled with many students asking questions and greeting the staff. Ed and Al decided to wait to the side of the room. Ten minutes rolled by and the warning bell rang. Student left at a comfortable pace, heading to their homeroom classes. Ed and Al walked up to the woman manning the front desk, "Um, excuse me, but we're new here and the principal told our father to tell us to wait here so that someone could tell us where to go..." Alphonse shakily stated._

_"Oh, of course. I'll let the principal know you're here." She smiled, briskly paging the principal. A brief moment passed and before both boys looked to see an elderly, bespectacled, moustachioed man enter the room with a smile._

_"Good morning," he greeted._

_"Ah- good morning," Ed and Al reciprocated._

_"And who might you boys be?"_

He doesn't seem too bad... seems a little strict but also kinda grandfatherly in a way_. Ed noted._

_"Um, I'm Edward Elric and this is my younger brother, Alphonse Elric."_

_"Ah, Van Hohenheim's children, yes" – Ed's jaw clenched and his fist tightened – "A pleasure to meet you both, you may call me Mr. or Principal Grumman. Please, step into my office."_

_The three stepped past the front desk towards Grumman's office. Closing the door and leisurely strolling over to his desk, Grumman sat down and motioned for the Elrics to do the same._

_"We don't get many transfers mid-year, so the counselors were able to quickly program your schedules. Here you are" – He handed them each a slip of paper – "These are your classes for this semester. However, if you have any reservations about them, please come see your counselor – their name should be listed somewhere at the top of the program card."_

_"Do either of you have any questions?"_

_Both boys shook their heads._

_"Very well. I'd like to officially welcome the both of you to East City Academy. I hope you'll enjoy your time here."_

_"I'll ask my assistant to escort you to your classes," He stated as he paged his subordinate._

_A young woman came through the door a minute later. It was the woman from the front desk. She had long black hair with dark, red-pink, chin-length, bangs parted in the middle so as to frame her light skinned, slender face. Soft, purple eyes fell upon the two boys and she smiled to all in the room._

_"Boys, this is Rose Thomas. Rose, would you be a dear and escort these young men to their morning class?"_

_"Yes, of course, sir. – gesturing to Ed and Al – Please follow me."_

As Ed finished recounting the events that led up to the current point in time, he was brought out of his thoughts when Al addressed him.

"Brother, this is my homeroom class. I'll be seeing you later, okay?"

"O-oh, yeah. Let's meet near the office during break okay? See ya in a bit." Edward smiled.

"All right, brother. See ya then."

With that, Alphonse strode into his classroom with a smile, and Ed and Rose headed for Edward's class.

"So... tell me about this place..." Ed requested, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Rose smiled graciously.

"It's a very prestigious school. The staff is kindly... they really do care for the welfare of the students. We have a variety of clubs if you find one that piques your interest. The students are friendly as well. I'm sure you'll make friends soon enough." At that Ed rolled his eyes, but Rose hadn't noticed.

"Well, here you are."

They were paused in front of a classroom door.

"Have a nice day, and welcome to ECAHS." She smiled and left to return to the front office.

Edward braced himself, brought his right hand to the door's handle, turned it slowly, opened the door, and walked in.


	2. Friendly Fire

Chapter 2

First Day – Part 2

Friendly Fire

As Ed walked in, the class fell silent. He continued his stride and he informed the homeroom teacher of the situation, showing the man his program card. A pair of blue eyes widened in the back of the class.

"*whisper* Oh I see. *normal voice* Students, it seems we have a new student joining us this semester. Please, why don't you introduce yourself; your name, your grade, seeing as this is a mix of tenth and eleventh based off of academic merit, well, it's supposed to be any way – we've only one, ha ha, and let's see... an interesting fact about you.

"Uh... 'kay. I'm Edward Elric. I'm in tenth grade, and there's nothing all that interesting about me," he said offhandedly.

"Oh, very well then. Please take a seat... there are quite a few open."

"Um, sure..." _Where should I sit then...? I don't know any of these people..._

"Ed." A feminine voice called out.

Edward scanned the room to see where the voice was coming from.

At the back of the class he saw a hand waving at him; a delighted smile, blonde hair framing a pink-tinged face. She had bangs swept to the left and two long locks on either side, both reaching to her chest, and the rest tied up in a high ponytail. She had bright, soft, ocean-blue eyes.

"W...Winry?"

Everyone had looked to see Winry smiling and greeting Ed and then back at the amber-eyed boy.

– cue gossip and chatter –

"Why don't you come sit by me?"

"Uh, sure..."

Edward walked over cautiously and took a seat next to Winry.

"Since it's just the first day back and we have a new student, I'll just let you socialize and get to know each other." With that, the homeroom teacher sat at his desk readying his plan for the day.

"Why didn't you tell me you were transferring here?" Winry asked happily curious.

"Well, the Bastard didn't tell me and Al until the after you got back from vacation and we called but you said you were busy and then you yelled at me and that was two days ago and, well, here we are now."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense..." Winry grumbled,"For the record, I busy sorting out automail orders. They really piled up the two weeks I was gone."

"Speaking of which, hey Win-"

"Hey new kid. What's up? Oh, yeah – nice hair."

_Why does this guy smell like smoke so bad? _Ed wondered.

Ed and Winry looked over to see a tall, medium build, boy. He had blond hair; short, combed back, but with a tuft left shagged in the front, and slender, mischievous, but kind, blue eyes.

"Hey. Y'know, not much. And thanks, I leave it like this so I can ge sarcastic compliments from walking ashtrays."

Snickers were heard from behind the newcomer. Ed adjusted so he could the source.

The stifled laughing was coming from a boy with short black, with bangs haphazardly strewn across his forehead. When he stopped snickering, his eyes opened to reveal sharp onyx orbs.

"Geez, Havoc. Don't you have anything better to do than to bother the new guy?"

"Nope!" The one designated as Havoc hollered in merriment.

"New kid," –,"My name's Edward Elric." Edward interrupted sternly –,"right... Ed, where ya from? I'm from the countryside, Mustang and Hawkeye over there *pointing to the dark haired boy and the young blonde woman Ed just noticed sitting next to him* are from a town _just_ outside of East City. So what about you?"

"I'm from Resembool, the sheep herding town south of here."

"Hey, isn't that where you're from, Winry?"

"Yeah. Ed and I are childhood friends," she replied.

"Huh, first day here and short-stack's already got himself a lady," Mustang said offhandedly.

"HEY WHO YA CALLIN' SHORT – DOES IT LOOK LIKE I NEED A LADDER TO REACH MY SEAT – WHY I OUGHTA KNOCK YOU FOR LOOP YOU –"

"Ed, calm down you idiot!" Winry smacked the back of Edward's head.

Everyone blinked and stared at Ed after his outburst and Mustang smirked maliciously.

"GAH, WINRY, what the hell!" Ed rubbed his cranium.

"Perhaps now is the time to quit picking on the new one." the blonde woman from earlier iterated.

"Aw come on Lieutenant, we're just being friendly," Havoc said with a kind smirk, to which Hawkeye looked sternly at.

She stood up from her seat and walked pacedly to Edward.

Ed looked up at the stern-looking young woman. Her long, sunflower blonde hair came down to the middle of her back, with bangs parted on the right, sweeping to the left. She had mahogany brown eyes; they were at first apathetic looking, almost glazed-over, but actually seemed to have a softness and warmth to them. Her posture was stiff when she walked, but it seemed to relax a bit as she smiled softly and stuck out her hand somewhat.

"Hello, Ed. I'm Riza Hawkeye."

"Um, hi." Edward gently took her hand and they shook simultaneously.

"The 'walking ashtray' is Jean Havoc: Professional Idiot," – Havoc fumbled –,"and that's Roy Mustang."

"Hey, how come I'm the only one to get ripped on?" Havoc whined.

"If you're friends with Winry, I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting us get to know you."

Ed thought the statement over momentarily,"Nah, I guess not,"he said with a friendly grin.

"Great! We'll –"Havoc was cut off by the bell's ring.

"Time to find out what my next class is." Ed absently said as he looked at his program card.

"Hey, I'll help you find your next class, okay?"

Ed smiled and thanked Winry. _This school's kinda huge. I have no doubt Winry'll be a big help._

"Since Hawkeye so graciously introduced us, why don't you join us for break and Lunch?" Mustang asked cooly.

_Why, so you can call me short again?_ Ed thought bitterly.

"Sure, whatever. But I have something to do at break before I head over."

"Very well. See you then." With that, Mustang, Hawkeye, and Havoc, like the rest of the other students, left for their next class.

He acts like a bastard.

"Ed. You coming?" Winry questioned.

"Yeah."

They strode into the hall and fell into a like step.

"So, whadoyou have to do at break?"

"Well, I still have to find my locker," he looked at his program card,"and I also have to meet up with Al near the front office."

"Heh, so how's Al feel about the transfer?"

"I'm not gonna lie and say it didn't surprise him. He was totally caught off-gaurd when we were first told. But he recovered quickly."

"Oh yeah. He was happy to hear that you go here, too." He said jovially. "I'm sure he'll adjust quickly. He's good with people, so I bet he'll make a lot of friends."

"You're not wrong on that point. *sigh* Well, this is you're next class. After this is break."

Edward looked questioningly at her.

"Oh yeah. This school runs on a block schedule. Mondays and Wednesdays we have Homeroom, and classes one, two, and three; Tuesdays and Thursdays we have Homeroom and classes four, five, and six. Fridays are all classes.

Break is between classes 1 and 2, or 4 and 5, and Lunch is between classes 2 and 3, or 5 and 6. Fridays have break between classes 2 and 3, and Lunch between 4 and 5."

"...That's an odd way to do it."

"Yeah, but you get used to it. *giggle* Well, gotta run; see you in a bit."

Winry trotted away and Ed faced his class and walked in.


	3. Alphonse

Chapter 3

First Day – Part 3

Alphonse

_"Let's meet near the office during break okay? See ya in a bit." Edward smiled._

_"All right, brother. See ya then."_

_With that, Alphonse strode into his classroom with a smil_e_._

I was smiling, but... so many people were staring at me. I expected it since I was new and all, but that doesn't mean it's any less nerve-wracking. Everything was paused, just because I walked in...

The homeroom teacher took a step to me. I handed her my program card. She smiled and introduced herself.

I turned to face the class when she asked me to introduce myself.

_Let's see, my name; my grade; something I like; and an interesting thing about myself. Alright_.

– Alphonse smiled sweetly –

"Hi! I'm Alphonse Elric, but you can call me Al if you like. I'm in ninth grade. I really like cats, aaand... – I knew just what to say – I have an older brother. He transferred here, same as me."

"Thank you Alphonse. There are a few seats open, please take one."

I nodded to my teacher and looked over the prospective seats. One was next to a cinnamon brunette. She was pretty, but she didn't look like she wanted me sitting there. The next one I saw was beside a guy with black hair, dark, round eyes and glasses. He had a round face and his hair was spiked up. He smiled at me and I walked over.

"Is it okay if I sit here," I asked, smiling.

"Sure, go ahead. Name's Kain Fuery, but you can just call me Fuery."

"Hey Al. Welcome to ECAHS."

After I sat down and heard the voice, I turned to my left to see a friendly-looking face. He was a dusty blond with his hair parted in the middle, framing his face, and a strand sticking out at the divide – it was a little like brother's, but it wasn't as wild and it was cut shorter in the back. He was kinda dopey looking, but his jade eyes were kindly.

"Denny Brosh – just Brosh is fine – it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, haha. Thanks"

"And this girl over here," – he pointed to the girl sitting ahead of me –,"is Maria Ross."

"Hello there," she said to me with a soft, close-eyed, smile. Though, when she open them, I noticed they were a dark, midnight blue. They were very pretty.

Her hair was cut pretty short – waaay short – and there were a couple of locks jutting across the right of her forehead on her round face.

_Oh, heh heh, she has a mole on left cheek, underneath her eye. That's a unique trait._

"Oh wow. Your eyes. They're the same color as your hair!"

_Oh... she noticed...great._

"O-oh, yeah... It's not a big deal though."

"No way – that's so cool." Brosh was in awe.

"You don't see that kind of thing everyday, you know." Fuery was smiling.

"B-but... I do." All three of them stared at me.

"Every morning; in the mirror." I closed my eyes and smiled nervously.

They laughed.

Not at me though. At my joke.

I was thankful for that.

"So Alphonse," it was Fuery,"where're you from? I'm from here in East City."

"And Denny and I are from Central."

"Wow, that's kinda far from here..."

"It is, but things happen, you know," Brosh expressed.

"Yeah, I guess I do...

I'm from Resembool."

"That's the sheep herding town, right?" Maria asked.

"Yep."

"What's it like over there?"

"I don't know, I guess the same as here, but with less buildings and more grass."

"Sounds kinda boring," Brosh voiced.

"Well_ sooorry_. Didn't know my 'country-boy' ways wouldn't live up to your big 'city-slicker' expectations," I retorted.

Fuery chuckled.

"Well, with a wit like that, I'm sure you'll like it here," he assured me after finishing his laughter.

" – I chuckled – Thanks guys, I feel welcomed already!"

We all smiled and the bell rang.

Maria took my program card,"You're next class is down the hall to the left."

"Oh, thank you."

"By the way, this school functions on a block schedule so we have classes 1 – 3 on Mondays and Wednesdays, with break between classes 1 and 2, and lunch between 2 and 3. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the same but with classes 4 – 6 instead. Fridays are all classes, but you'll figure it out, I'm sure." Fuery advised me.

I looked at him appreciatively. I thanked all of them and we all left for our classes.

_I think I'm going to like it here. I hope brother will too._

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><p><strong><em>Hey guys, me again. Enjoying it so far? I hope so.<em>**

**_Yea, I know this chapter was really short - sorry._**

**Something I need to address regarding this story:**

**_ I know I've uploaded these three chapters near-day-after-day; that will end after this chapter. The reason being that I've had these typed up for a while, but I still need to type the rest and get them uploaded. _**

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><p><strong><em>It's only been a few days and my story's already been favourited by two people guys!<em>**

**_Thank you_ HaganeNoWriter_ - you were my _first_ favorite - thank you!_**

**_Thank you _****Cutiepie120048_ -you were my second!_**

**_You guys, all my of visitors and viewers, are very much appreciated!_**

**_Hopefully in the course of the next few weeks we'll all be more well-acquainted with each other, I'll have more chapters up, and I'll be better at keeping an FFN account._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Until next time<em>**

**_ -VoronKarasu_**


	4. Break

Chapter 4

First Day – Part 4

Break

It was break, a small amount of time between classes, around twenty minutes, that allowed students to do whatever the small time window allowed them to do. Most spend it catching up on homework, eating a snack, talking with friends and the like.

"Al. Hey, Al!" Ed was close to bounding to his brother.

"Brother," Al said happily.

"Come on, let's go find our lockers." Ed put his hands in his pockets and absently walked down the hallway. His head was slightly tipped as his eyes wandered up, as if he had something unweighted on his mind.

"Okay; yeah, sure." Alphonse nodded as he began to follow his brother.

"I've already made some friends in my classes, brother."

Brought out of his thinking, Ed looked at Alphonse,"Hah, that's great Al. I knew people'd like you," Ed grinned with closed eyes. "Heh, oh yeah, and get this, Al, Winry's in my homeroom."

"What really?"

"Yeah. When I was trying to find someplace to sit, she called my name from the back of the class. Man, everyone started gossiping and everything." Ed ended by closing his eyes, donning a goofy smile, and bringing his hands somewhat up in a halfhearted shrug.

"Sounds like something that'd happen to you. -Alphonse giggled- At least you won't be a _total_ loner when I'm not around."

"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ed irritatedly shot his brother a look.

"Ha ha ha *breath* *sigh*, on never mind brother." Al waved him off.

It wasn't long before the blonds found their lockers; Al's first, and then Ed's not too far away. After testing them out, the two decided to explore just a little more of the campus; as much as the time left would permit them.

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><p><em><strong>Yes, I know, another, <strong>_**especially**_** short chapter. Don't fret, I'll try not to make a habit out of this.**_

_**Okay, now, what I'd like to start doing, when I have a short chapter like this, is to accompany it with another chapter upload, be the next short or long. That way you guys don't feel totally ripped off.**_

_**However, if the chapter that follows a short chapter is especially **_**long_,__ it won't be posted for a while. So if you see a short chapter but no accompanying short/long chapter, that means the next one is going to be longer than normal long chapters - giving _you _guys something to look forward to._**

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><p><strong><em>For me, today is January 1st, 2015!<em>**

**_Happy New year from me to you!_**

**_And for my Australian visitors and viewers, how's the second day of the new year? What's it like in the FUTURE?_**

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><p><strong><em>Okay! Thank you time.<em>**

**_Two more favorites guys!_**

**_Thank you _RonAndKim!**

_**And thank you **_**FullmetalTitans!**

_**You guys are very much appreciated!**_


	5. Lunch

Chapter 5

First Day – Part 5

Lunch

Edward exited his second period class and entered the white, green-speckled, tile hallway.

"Edward." He turned to see Winry catching up to him.

"Hey, Winry." Ed continued his tread into the hallway, once again sticking his hands in his pants pockets.

"Where're you going?" She matched his pace.

Ed "hmm'd" annoyedly, "To meet Al."

"Oh great; I'll go with you."

"Why?" Ed raised an eyebrow to her.

Winry's face scrunched up in a sneer. "Keep in mind I haven't been able to see Al since I got home." Ed's brow furrowed almost apologetically as his shoulders slumped causing him to lean forward irritatedly. "I also want to show you guys where me and the others hang out."

"And willingly set foot in the same room as that bastard Mustang? No thanks." Edward was in the same position as before, but was now looking towards the corner of his eye – in the opposite direction of Winry.

"How can you call him that if you've only just met him?

"How can you stand his smarmy attitude ~tch."

Winry scrunched her face again.

They were nearing the front office when they spotted Alphonse. He was speaking with another boy with dark hair and glasses. The bespectacled boy was speaking when Winry and Edward came within hearing range.

"-think you'll like them. They were pretty nice to me when I was new..." The boy stopped to look over at the duo. "Hey, Winry," he waved.

"Hey, Fuery." Winry waved back.

Fuery looked at Ed next. Ed stared back. _Why's he smiling at me? If he's got somethin' ta say – _

"Hi there, you must be Alphonse's brother."

Ed blinked,"Oh, uh, yeah."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Kain Fuery, but everyone calls me Fuery." He stuck his hand out.

Ed's earlier thoughts were dismissed as he took on a smile which grew into a smirk. He took Fuery's hand in his. "Likewise. Name's Ed."

"Come on guys, the other's are waiting for us."

"Can't we get some food first...?" Ed ask innocently.

Winry and Fuery looked at Ed and blanched. Fuery placed a hand over his mouth, shuddered, then tried to compose himself,"You're better off just bringing something from home," he offered an apologetic close-eyed smile. He brightened up,"Oh, except for Thursdays – they serve doughnuts!"

Ed and Al looked at each other, sweat-dropping.

* * *

><p>The four headed for the history department of the school. They entered a classroom containing Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, and two others Ed didn't recognize, but whom Al seemed to.<p>

"Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, this is Ed, Alphonse's older brother." Fuery acquainted the three,"Ed, this is Maria and Brosh."

"Hi there," Maria greeted, "How's it going?" Brosh smiled.

"And guys, this is Alphonse, Ed's younger brother. Al, this is Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, and Jean Havoc." Winry gestured towards Al then to the other three.

Al slightly bowed to them then returned to his normal posture,"Hello, thank you for taking care of Winry and my brother."

"Geez Mustang, you continue to gain new members and I might have to just report you guys for creating a gang. Not a good idea to get the new kids in on it either, people might think you're up to something."

The youths all looked toward the door to see a man with burnt orange hair in a buzz-cut and a thick figure with disinterested eyes and a wry smirk.

"Geh – I would never allow a gang to be established in my classroom Mr. Breda." The voice was a little comically stressed. "And please don't tease the students like that." The voice came from the classroom's teacher, a tall, middle-aged, gray-haired, squinted-eyed man, sitting at his desk in the corner of the front of the class.

"Relax, just tryin'a mess with 'em Falman."

"Hey Breda," Mustang greeted. "Hm... Where's Hughes and Armstrong?"

"Armstrong's having lunch of campus and Hughes had to head over to the university for somethin'."

"Hey wait," Alphonse voiced,"how did you know we were new?"

Ed looked at Al and then at Breda and wondered the same.

"Oh let me tell you. See teachers and staff return to school a week before school starts in order to make sure everything's set up right. We get our class rosters then, too. However, this time's a little different. Principal calls in a meeting with some of the teachers about some new students we're getting. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, but imagine our mix of surprise and skepticism when Grumman announces the sons of an East University bigwig, a bigwig who happens to be friends with Grumman himself, were genius-level prodigies, as expressed by the principal himself, were transferring to our school in the up and coming semester."

"In short, to the staff, you're kind famous."

With that, everyone was paused. Al was dumbfounded. Winry looked at Ed. Havoc and Hawkeye were awestricken – Havoc's mouth hanging open – along with Brosh and Maria's. Fuery looked at Al. And Mustang, at first caught off-guard, quickly recovered and discreetly glanced at both Elric's with some scrutiny.

Everyone watched Edward, bangs covering his face, silently move to and sit down in a chair. They watched for a beat or two before Ed grabbed the desk and began violently bang his face to the desk. But before anyone could stop him, at around the third or fourth violent head bang, Edward shot out of the seat.

"I'm sorry is there a closet or something around here?" Ed looked to Falman and Breda.

Falman was the only one to answer for Breda was too flabbergasted to say anything, though Falman wasn't too far off from being just as speechless. "Yeah... in the back..."

"Thank you." Ed briskly walked into the designated closet, walked in and closed the door.

1... 2... 3 –

-MUFFLED RAGING ANGER-

The only audible thing said was, "– stupid bastard with the face of a bastard," as Ed was coming out of the classroom closet after his tirade.

"-sighing- Nothing like a good rant to vent out some frustration," Ed said nonchalantly, his voice relaxed while he adjusted the top of his hooded jacket. He stopped when he noticed everyone's eyes on him. "What?" His face was big-eyed and subtly confused, like a child.

"Um, brother..."

"Huh, yeah, Al?"

"Can you try and not scare away our new friends on our first day here? Save it 'til at _least_ day five."

"Oh, uh, sorry about that," Edward apologized awkwardly.

"I guess it's true what they say, then," everyone place their eyes on Mustang and away from the brothers,"the vertically challenged do have a volatile temper."

. . .

_He just called me short didn't he_.

Alphonse placed a hand over his brother's mouth before the older blond's explosion could detonate.

"Maybe a better idea not to piss off the chief too much, eh Mustang?" Havoc remarked.

Mustang to Havoc to reply – "I agree with Havoc, _Roy_." Hawkeye's agreement carried dome sting in Mustang's given name.

Mustang deflated somewhat. He tossed up his hands in mock defeat,"Fine. I'll knock it off." _For now._

"UEEAGH, _BROTHER_!"

Once again everyone's focus was on the brother-ed blonds.

Winry sweat-dropped at the site.

Alphonse had yanked his hand away from Edward.

"Well that's what you get for stickin' your hand on my face."

"_So you licked my _hand_?"_

"That's right," Ed adopted a defiant look by closing his eyes, turning slightly away and placing his arms crossed over his chest.

-SMACK-

Alphonse's hand collided with Edward's face – saliva included.

"AGH, AL THAT'S FREAKING GROSS!"

"THAT'S EXACTLY MY POINT!"

"AH, WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" Winry had stewed in annoyance at the brothers' actions and finally burst.

Both boys stopped immediately, most likely out of fear.

_Please don't hurt us Winry, please don't hurt us, _please_?"_ Alphonse pleaded in his mind.

Even as she angrily stared them down and Ed and Al looked ready to beg for their lives, the others in the class laughed at the antics of the three childhood friends from Resembool.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Okay, do you guys see what I meant?<strong>_

_**I hope you guys are enjoying so far, don't be afraid to let me know.**_

_**Seriously, you guys, it makes me very happy to see new reviews and/or pm's in my inbox - I get all giddy and everything.**_

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><p><em><strong>Did you guys like this chapter? I know I did; frankly it's one of my favorite so far haha!<strong>_

_**Did you know I was about to make Falman a little more easygoing? Eeesh.. Heh heh, I prefer to get the characters as accurate as possible, and yes, I know that since it's a fanfic, I can be a little bit more liberal with the characters, but that's just me, ya know?**_

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><p><em><strong>I bet you're all wondering what Ed was saying in his little tirade, huh.<strong>_

_**Well, here's a little backstage access!**_

Ed:

"AHHHHH! THAT IDIOT! WHENEVER HE'S INVOLVED - AGH! HE MESSES EVERYTHING UP! CAN'T WE GO ONE DAY WITHOUT ANY SORT OF REPUTATION PRECEDING US! Tch- I should knock him out - damn Hohenheim - that stupid bastard with the face of a bastard."

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><p><em><strong>Oh Ed, he's a firecracker that one.<strong>_

_**Thank you for reading. Until next time.**_

_**-VoronKarasu**_


	6. Leg Day

Chapter 6

Leg Day

_Break_

"So what's your next class Elrics?" Havoc asked merrily.

"I've got Cultures," Al responded .

"An' I got P.E." Ed answered.

"Hm, same here." Mustang had joined them at the table in the courtyard, the place the group met during breaks.

"Looks like you've got class with me and the Colonel, kid." Havoc smile widely with closed lips.

Ed perked up,"I heard you call Hawkeye 'lieutenant,' too. What's up with that?" Ed aimed the question obviously at Havoc.

"Oh, the nicknames? They're just based off an old game we used to play. They just kinda stuck." Havoc shrugged.

"Oh, brother," Ed's attention focused on Al,"watch out for the P.E. teacher, Mr. Armstrong, he puts new guys up against the best kids in the class to see their physical level. Something about 'the art of evaluating the physical prowess of the young' or something." At that, Havoc cringed ever so slightly. Al started again,"I had to go against Riza at one point. That... was an experience..."

"I creamed you." Hawkeye subtly smirked with her eyes closed as she took a seat.

"Hey, I'm rusty okay!" Alphonse defended.

Ed chuckled at the exchange.

"So that means you're going up against me and... Envy right? For speed and strength?" Havoc directed the later half of the question to Mustang.

"Right." Mustang said with certainty.

"Who's Envy? And what kind of name is that, anyway?" Ed, at first curious, ended his question with confusion.

"Nickname, chief; nickname..." Havoc leaned forward to cradle his head in hand.

"Envy is a member of the Homunculi, a gang inside the school," Hawkeye's voice was tainted with disdain.

"They're a bunch of jerks," Winry wrung the end of her shirt while she frowned.

"They don't do much, unless you catch their attention. They keep a low profile if you keep one, too," Mustang warned. "Envy, however, is quite malicious even when he's not trying to be. He'll get bored quickly if you ignore him though."

"Al'right I'll try not to stick my neck out too much," Ed assured. _Geez, if these guys are keepin' out of those guys' way, it's probably better if I did too. I don't need Al worrying about me or about another stupid thing I'd do. Probably don't wanna mess with guys who name themselves after artificial humans...although weird, it's like they're saying they're practically invincible... _

-BRRIING-

"Well, let's see what ya got chief." Havoc invited.

"Good luck brother," Al parted.

"Aw come on Al, have some more faith in your older brother."

"Ha ha, I do brother. All right, we should all be going to class now."

* * *

><p><em><span>Boys Locker Room<span>_

"Armstrong's office is right there. Just a heads up, he can be a little... eccentric." Havoc warned.

"Um, okay." Edward headed towards the office.

"Excuse me, I need to see Mr. Armstrong?" Edward said as he entered the seemingly empty office.

. . .

"OH-HO-HO, WHICH OF MY YOUNG STUDENTS IS SEEKING GUIDANCE FROM THEIR MOST CARING TEACHER?"

He's...he's sparkling...

Ed, though startled, looked to see that the voice was coming from a large, _very_ large, mustachioed man with bulging muscles. He was bald... except for the curled blond tress falling from his forehead. Ed noticed the towering teacher's strong, serious, blue eyes on himself.

"I've never seen your face before young man. How may I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, help a youth such as yourself?"

"A-ah, I'm a new student."

"Oh heavens! What grand news! What is your name lad?"

"Ah! It's Edward Elric, sir, giant, sir... ehh..."

Armstrong folded his arms and nodded curtly. "I suppose you'll be wanting your gym-wear young Edward?"

"Yeah, actually."

"I see, judging from your stature," -Armstrong headed for a closet containing gym and sportswear-,"these should fit you just right," he said as he handed Ed his clothes.

"And here is your locker number and combination lad," Armstrong grabbed a card from a drawer in his desk and handed it to Ed.

"Thank you." Ed looked at the card while carrying in the clothes in his other arm.

"Most of the other students have entered the gymnasium. Get yourself situated and join us soon after.

"Okay thank you."

Armstrong left for the gym leaving Edward to find his locker. Once he located it, he opened it and began to change.

He removed his jacket and next his shirt, revealing a lean and well-toned figure, and quickly replacing it with the gym t-shirt. Next to be replaced were his trousers, so he removed them as well, revealing his boxers, but more interestingly his legs. His right, a flesh-and-blood one, and his left, a steel prosthetic – automail, whose port reached just above his knee.

He quickly donned the red gyms shorts, placed his regular wear in his locker, which he closed immediately after, slipped on his shoes, and headed for the gym.

* * *

><p>Ed scurried to the gym only to be greeted by:<p>

"EDWARD – LAD, 'TIS MOST GLORIOUS FOR YOU TO HAVE JOINED US. WE HAVE JUST FINISHED ARANGING YOUR CHALLENGERS."

"Okay..." Edward replied as he joined the group of students.

"Hey look, Elric's got a metal leg!" A random voice called it.

Ed paused and noticed all eyes fall on him and the beginnings of gossip.

Ed's face contorted in annoyance,"Yeah. What about it?"

The chattering stopped.

Edward didn't notice Mustang and Havoc's surprise and them sharing a look before Mustang trained his eyes on Ed.

"Ah, yes, Edward I was made aware by Principal Grumman that one of you Elric's was the benefactor of a prosthetic limb. Will it impede you in any way?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Very well. Moving on to the matters at hand. It is tradition in my class to have newcomers compete with the best in their class to determine their skill level. AS IS THE TRADITION PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS!"

He's sparkling again... *sweat drop*

"So I've been told..."

"You shall be competing against Jean Havoc in a half-lap race on the track field, and Envy in a one-on-one, supervised spar. Let's proceed then."

_Outside Track Field_

Edward and Havoc took their places on the track. Armstrong and the other students waited on the other side of the field.

"That leg's not gonna slow you down is it chief?

All that metal's gotta be heavy."

"Of course it is. But wouldn't you know it, you've gotta be as strong as the metal is heavy, maybe more so. Still, haven't really used it to race anybody... it'll be a surprise for both of us." Ed smirked and shrugged one shoulder.

Havoc smirked back,"Sounds good to me."

From across the field, the two could hear Armstrong calling their marks,"...Get Set!"

The two focused themselves.

"GO!"

A quick dig into the track and a bound and they were off.

Right, Left, Right, Left.

The need for a panted breath.

They had only just begun, but so far they were neck-and-neck.

Damn. The kid's fast. We've only started and we're already halfway.

Havoc noticed Ed's face harden and his eyes widen slightly.

Ed's pace slowed only minutely.

Havoc won the race.

* * *

><p>"GOOD SHOW LADS! YOU BOTH SHINED WITH TRUE DETERMINATION! YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ALL BRIGHT YOUTHS!" Armstrong sparkled ferociously. "Fine work Jean, you've been a great help in determining Edward's speed level."<p>

"No *pant* problem *pant*" Havoc heaved as he arched himself, placing his hands on his knees.

"Edward, that was a marvelous effort. Everyone head back to the gym."

All the students began making their way to the gymnasium, but Armstrong had stopped Ed. They began their return as well, albeit, at a much slower pace.

"Edward, is there something troubling you lad?"

"Huh? No. 'M fine."

"So why then, tell me, did you lose pace even though you quite the match for young Havoc?"

"Just... lost wind is all."

"Mm...

Are you still up for your spar against Envy?"

"Yeah. I'm good enough for anything," Ed determined, a spark in his eye.

* * *

><p>"Envy, would you step up please."<p>

"Sure teach!" Envy grinned toothily with closed eyes.

"Envy, Edward, please take your places in the designated area," Armstrong gestured to a section of the gym.

Ed and Envy placed themselves opposite of each other. Edward took a stance, but he noticed Envy casually standing with a grin.

"I'm assuming these are your beginning stances? Very well. First to the ground is defeated. Begin!"

"Oh, come on Armstrong. How do you expect me to fight against this pipsqueak, and actually take it seriously? I don't wanna _hurt_ the kid ya know."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE NEED NOT FEAR BEING STEP ON BY A BOOT FOR HE'D FIT BETWEEN THE GROOVES OF THE SOLE!"

"BAHAHAHAHA! Looks like shorty's got a complex –"

(And that was the day Envy died.)

(Nah, I'm totally kidding.)

Edward socked Envy majorly in the jaw with a right hook,"THAT'LL TEACH YOU TO CALL PEOPLE SMALL YOU WALKING PALM TREE!"

Envy stumbled backward and rubbed his soon-to-be bruised jaw.

"*sneering* I'll get you for that, you little runt."

Envy rushed Edward, throwing a left punch. Ed caught it and threw his own left fist, which Envy reciprocally caught. Ed jumped up and kick off of Envy, subsequently back flipping and kicking up Envy's jaw. Ed landed less than a meter from where the initial kick off was while Envy stumbled backward. Edward landed in a cushioning crouch; a loud pop was heard. _What? Not now!_ Ed grabbed his left knee and made a split-second decision – he gunned for a recovering, pushed-off Envy. Edward swept Envy's legs and the older boy was down.

"_Daaamn_, Kid's got some moves, eh Colonel?" Havoc watched the whole thing in open-mouthed-smiling awe.

"Yeah... Who know he could move like that?" Surprised and impressed, Mustang eyed Ed in scrutiny.

"Well done Edward. Sorry for the loss of your status Envy.

Come now everyone. I feel we have all earned a good day of soccer!"

"All right!" "Yes!" *other assorted words of exclamatory happiness* "woo"

Edward, with a soft open mouthed smile, then, tap-kicking the floor with his left leg deeming it safe for use, was about to join the others, but then felt a tug – a yank – on his hair. His eyes hardened then widened. He was flying backwards. A knock to the head, flipping to his feet, slamming on his back with a fwapping thud, skidding slightly.

"GAH-HA," Ed winded out when his back hit the ground.

"Oh no." Mustang uttered.

"Ed!" Havoc ran to Edward's side. Havoc's eyes hardened; his mind raced.

"Envy! To the Principal's office! I'll deal with you when I arrive there." Armstrong ordered.

"Yeah, fine, sure, whatever," Envy sauntered without a care out of the gym.

Armstrong came to Ed's side – opposite of Havoc – and picked him up. Ed's limp head dipped into the crook of Armstrong's right arm.

"I shall take Edward to the infirmary. Until I return – Laps – every one of you."

There was groans of protest, but Armstrong would have none of it.

"That was..." Havoc whispered.

"It was Envy. And a show of his encompassed brutality," Mustang finished, his eyes narrowed as he spoke.

* * *

><p>"Al."<p>

It was lunch and Alphonse was coming out of his cultures class only to find Havoc waiting for him.

"Havoc? What's up?" But Alphonse noticed his serious face. "What's wrong?"

"Al – well... just... just come with me." Havoc started leading, Alphonse followed.

They quickly arrived at the infirmary and Al shot Havoc an inquisitive look. Havoc turned around to face Al.

"Okay, Al. Don't freak out. Ed got a little roughed up in his spar. He's been in here since the middle of fifth period."

Al looked speechless, but – "Okay. I won't freak out, but... I'm going to check on Ed now."

"All... right..." Havoc replied as Alphonse calmly walked into the infirmary.

Al came up to the nurse and questioned about his brother.

"Oh yes. I checked on him earlier, when he was brought in. I called your father. I was just about to check on him again. Please follow me."

"What happened to him?"

"Well, from what Mr. Armstrong told me," she pulled back the curtain shielding Edward, who was sleeping peacefully in the infirmary bed,"He received a head injury and has some bruising on his back, but it all seems pretty minor. Your brother's tough; most kids would have a concussion from the way his teacher told me he sustained the injury."

"Yeah.. brother's always been kind of a hard head...

So... he'll be okay?"

"Oh yes. He just needs some rest."

"Oh good." Al breathed a sigh of relief,"He had me worried."

The nurse returned to her desk and Al took a seat near his brother. A minute or two later, he heard the door open and a feminine voice ask for Ed. He turned slightly to see Winry. She was about to greet Al, but stopped short to stare past him. He followed her line of sight.

Ed was awake, with a grimace on his face.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Okay, Chapter 6 dunzo!<em>**

**_How is everyone? *hears crickets*_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Did you guys enjoy this chapter?<em>**

**_Don't be afraid to let me know, any and all views and visits are appreciated!_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>All right, down to business.<em>**

**_Everyone, I have just put a cover art of this fic on Deviant Art._**

**_I _was_ thinking about making a new profile so that only content from my FFN profile showed, but I decided that using my current account was easier._**

**_I am listed as Kurasu-Elrimaki (Kurasu was a misspelling of Karasu TT^TT I was thirteen and I had only just realized that Japanese was a cool language...) (don't look at my horrible art TT~TT)_**

**_*here's the link to the actual piece:_**

**_ kurasu-elrimaki.(put DA dot C here)/art/FMA-B-Unexpected-Circumstances-505399679_**

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><p><strong><em>It took me over <em>two days_ to get it done. The reason I make it sound like it took so long was because I had already finished the picture... as a physical drawing. I don't own a drawing tablet, so what I have had to do for years to create digital art (only for complicated pieces) is draw the picture, scan it, then use programs such as PIXIA and . It takes forever and is excruciating... yet oddly relaxing._**

**_That being said - it's up now - go look at it if you want to. I'm also posting up the original drawing... you'll see that there were some minor changes. _**

**_All changes were made digitally - the original hand-drawn piece was not touched (except that the version I'll show will have a patchy spot where I had to conceal a character - I'm not telling who, because I thought it would be better for them to appear on the next fanart._**

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><p><strong><em>Okay, well... That was the most I've EVER talked with you guys.<em>**

**_weird.._**

**_Well, make sure to get a peek at them drawings, tell me what you guys think of the fic and of the deviations._**

**_Until next time_**

**_-VoronKarasu_**

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><p><strong><em>p.s. <em>Rigiied_ - Am I improving on the details yet? X3_**

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><p><strong><em>P.p.s. Please check out my profile for updates on fancover art and/or important messages._**


	7. Maintenance

Chapter 7

Maintenance

"Al! It'll be okay; just hang on!"

"Brother, I'm scared!"

. . .

"Just look at me Al! That's it – right at me!"

. . .

"ED!"

. . .

"Ed, stay with me! No, stay awake – Ed – ED – BROTHER!"

My eyes flew open. My lungs breathed in, but my breath was held. My hands were gripping the sheets under me. I caught sight of something in the corner of my eye and adjusted my head to see better. It was Winry and Alphonse; they looked worried. But they were okay, they looked okay...

_It was just a dream... It was.. just a memory..._

_..._

_Why the heck does my head hurt so bad? _

I sat up, rubbing my head. "What happened?"

Al looked like he was going to say something but it was Winry instead.

"Mustang filled me in. Envy flipped you over. You hit your head and Mr. Armstrong brought you here." Winry still looked kinda worried.

"How are you feeling brother?"

"Well, my head's killing me, but nothing I can't handle." I tried smiling.

Winry frowned,"Well... as long as you're feeling all right, I'll head back to the others and let them know you're okay –"

"Ah – actually Winry," I had to stop her from leaving.

"Huh? What is it Ed?"

"Um, well... ya see... My... leg?"

I coulda sworn I saw Winry's eye and fist twitch as she lowered her head.

" What. Did. You. DO !" She was spitting out hellfire!

"GAH! Wait – no! I – I didn't do anything, I swear, Winry!" _It's just been acting weird; I didn't do anything damn it._

"I've been wanting to tell you about it. I don't know what's wrong with it. It's fine when I walk and stand, but bending it makes a weird sound sometimes, and something feels kinda loose. I notice it more if I exert it more than usual."

"Hm... *sigh* All I have on me right now is my wrench and screwdriver. I can take a look, but I can't really do anything until we get home."

"Sure. I don't think that'll be a problem.

* * *

><p>Ed's arms were folded behind his head and his right leg dangled off the edge of the infirmary bed so that Winry had better access to his left. Winry removed the plating and began investigating. She also tinkered with the mechanisms in Ed's knee. After tinkering with Ed's leg a little more, Winry put the plating back and told Ed he could sit right again.<p>

"There's a few things wrong. First, it looks like I've messed up when I checked on it last time – there's a screw missing in a space in the ankle. That messed up the calibration, which goes into the second problem – the pressure mechanism located in the ankle, you know, the one that protects the leg and balances you out when you jump and run? the misalignment caused it to basically get crushed under your weight. This is why I tell you not to do the dumb things you always do you dummy!" – "Lay off already; what else is wrong?" – "Hmph. There was also some screws loose in the knee; I tightened them when I was looking over everything. That should have stopped the 'popping' sound you've probably been hearing."

Ed looked at her, surprised she knew exactly the type of sound his leg was making.

"Can you tell me how long it's been bothering you?"

"A few days; just a little before school started."

"I see..."

Ed recognized her self-disappointment – "It wasn't really a problem! ...But during class, it was acting really weird. I was afraid that it'd fall apart." Ed smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head as he finished.

"You probably pushed it a little too hard during your competitions and that's what nearly pushed the ankle over the edge. I won't blame you for the calibration being off, it's my fault. That missing piece really made things unstable – I'm surprised you didn't tell me about this sooner..." She shot Ed a glance,"You should know better. *sigh*Anyway, just stop by my house after school and I'll see what Gramma and I can do."

"All right, sure. Thanks."

"I'll see you guys later. In fact I'll hitch a ride with you guys after school, okay?" Winry looked at Ed and Al, seeking confirmation.

"All right. See ya then, Winry." Al smiled as Winry parted.

* * *

><p>"Hey. I'm ready to go." Winry lightly jogged to Ed and Al.<p>

"Hey Winry. Great, let's go." Al chirped.

"Wait. So he doesn't pick you up right after school?"

Ed began brooding, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Al answered instead with a close-eyed smile that was asking for some forgiveness and patience, "He's still at work. We're supposed to wait for him at the university's library. He shouldn't be long though."

"All right, then."

The three made it to the library, and just as Alphonse had said, it wasn't long before Hohenheim arrived.

"Edward, Alphonse, are you ready to – oh, hello Winry. Are you carpooling with us today?"

"Yeah. Ed's leg is having some trouble, so we're heading to my house as soon as we get home.

"Very well then. Let's get going shall we?" Hohenheim said with a smile.

The four headed for the car and began to drive back to Resembool.

"So how was your day boys?"

Ed laid his chin in his palm as he stared out of the back right window with a glower. Alphonse halfheartedly tossed Ed a glance, from the passenger seat.

"It was fine dad. You know, just a normal day." Al smiled.

"That's good. What about you Winry; how was your day?"

"Oh, mine? The same, just a normal day. Well, aside from Ed asking me to take a look at his leg, but I'm used to that!"

"And we're so very grateful to you and Pinako. Your help is always appreciated." Hohenheim was smiling, but his eyes, though smiling as well, were also tinged with a pensive sadness. "How 'bout I just drop you all off at your house Winry?"

"Sure, that's fine. Why don't you all stay for dinner? I'm sure Gramma wouldn't mind."

"I think we'll take you up on that offer. I sill have some work to sort out, but I'll join you soon enough."

"Great!" Winry hollered.

"Aw, Yeah! It's always fun eating at your house Winry!" Alphonse cheered.

"Yeah... great." Edward muttered. _This day's all gone to hell. _First_, I get knocked on my back, _then_ I find out my leg's busted, and to top it all off, I get to deal with _him_ during dinner._

The four arrived in Resembool a short time later. Hohenheim dropped off the three youths and went home after assuring he'd be on time for dinner. Ed, Al, and Winry headed inside the large, two-story, yellow, Victorian-style farmhouse.

"Gramma, I'm home! And Ed and Al are here, too!"

-Bark-Bark-Bark-

"Hey, Den. How are you girl?" Alphonse kneeled and started petting Den,. Her blaxk fur and floppy ears were given a lot of affection. Though Alphonse wasn't expecting a large white-furred, black-nosed muzzle to begin licking his face. "Ha ha ha. Den, Den stop! *more giggles*"

Pinako walked into the room with her pipe in her mouth but still in her thumb and forefinger. "Den settle down. Welcome back Winry. Good to see you Alphonse. Ed... did you get smaller than the last time I saw you?"

"YOU'RE SMALLER THAN _I AM, _YOU TINY OLD HAG!"

"Oh shut it, you half-pint midget!"

"AAAHH– "

"Hi Granny." Alphonse interrupted.

"Gramma. Ed, Al and their dad want to stay for dinner, is that okay?" Winry popped into the conversation.

"Yeah, sure. I don't mind. Though them being here in the first place must mean there's something wrong with Ed's leg."

"Yeah, but it's not entirely his fault. I was careless last time."

"Ed, come over here. Let's see the damage." Pinako calmly demanded.

Edward walked over to the couch Pinako gestured to.

He removed his trousers, once again revealing his automail leg and his light blue, unpatterned boxers with wide, white, vertical stripes on the left-most and right-most sides. Ed sat down and let Pinako examine his leg.

"Hm, you certainly were careless last time Winry." –Winry cringed slightly.– "We could fix this in no time, however your leg needs a few more adjustments than that."

"Looks like your growth isn't completely stunted after all," Winry piped in.

"Hey! Shut up!" Ed barked.

"Fixing your leg's going to take some time, and I need to get a few parts before I can though. I can get them tomorrow. I since we have school, I'll have to divide my time. All that together, I'd say...it'd take about three days."

"It'd take that much time?" Ed inquired.

"You'll have to make due with this spare for now," Pinako placed a simple, yet functioning, spare leg in Ed's automail port.

Ed tried to stand but stumbled, "It's kind of hard to walk on a leg I'm not used to."

"We'll be done before you get used to it," Pinako grinned.

* * *

><p>Dinnertime came and Hohneheim arrived to partake of it with the Rockbells and his sons. Although Ed kept silent the whole while, the others made some idle conversation. They talked about work, school, Winry's vacation where she had visited an old acquaintance of Pinako's in Rush Valley and how she befriended some people and a teenage girl named Paninya there, and other miscellaneous topics.<p>

A while after dinner was done, the Elric boys and their father headed home with Winry saying she'll see the boys at school. Alphonse said bye, Hohenheim thanked them for the meal, and Ed just waved.

Back home, Hohenheim went straight to his study and Ed and Al went to their room. Each Elric went to their respective bed. Al sat down while Ed "plopped" on his after undressing to his underclothes.

"The food was really good, wasn't it brother?"

"Yeah, sure was. It always tastes better when someone else makes it." Ed grinned.

"Hm!" Al closed-eyed smiled at Ed's comment while facing the ceiling.

"Brother?" Al started into the silence, still staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, Al?" Ed, lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head, turned his head to see his younger brother.

"When you were in the infirmary... When you woke up..."

"What about it Al?" Ed asked with a dopey-innocent face.

"What was your dream about?" Al finally looked over to his older brother.

Edward looked at Alphonse, then went back to looking at the ceiling. "That day... with my leg... Nothing to worry about." Edward shifted onto his right side so that he was facing the wall.

Alphonse stared guiltily at Ed's back. _Brother... This school... it'll be good for you... We've already made friends and Winry's there with us. That has to mean _something.

Somewhere lost in his thoughts, in his worries for his brother, in his hope for this new path, Alphonse succumbed to the warm embrace of sleep.

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><p><em><strong>Okay, <strong>_**that_ should _NOT_ have taken as long as it did._**

**_First off, I've had the chapter written down for a while - I just hadn't typed it. Then school started up, but that shouldn't even be an excuse. Thirdly, I am the most lazy person I know, I even procrastinate on things I _like_ to do, like writing this series for you guys._**

**_I will try to try harder guys. I've had a long standing problem with laziness and procrastination that effects me beyond doing simple tasks, sometimes I won't even get up to do anything, or I'll try to avoid things I don't want to do. _**

**_In short - I don't like work._**

**_Enough about me being a sorry excuse for an entertainer, let's get down to business. (to defeat the huns!)_**

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><p><strong><em>So many new favourites guys!<em>**

**_In order:_**

**_Thank you _MultiLevelsofMusic_!_**

**_Thank you _Joker Oak_!_**

**_Thank you _devil M_!_**

**_Thank you _Aquarose16_!_**

**_You are all so very appreciated!_**

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><p><strong><em>Now,<em>**

**_I would like to thank_**

** nandini. chandra .5**

**_and_ **

**Herbie the Time Travelling Car**

_**They are two followers who aren't also favoriters, and I have not given a mention of them until now, and for that I am sorry. I hope to be better at acknowledging all of you, for all of you are what make this anything at all. **_

_**A story is just words until they are heard (or read) by someone else. For then, it is an experience.**_

_**And you can quote me on that!**_

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><p><em><strong>My reviewers are appreciated too, and I'm glad that the ones who have reviewed so far have been pleased. <strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Please be patient with me. I'm an idiot. TT~TT<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Be sure to check my profile for updates on some art that I do for this series.<strong>_

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><p><strong><em>You are all appreciated.<em>**

**_Until next time_**

**_-VoronKarasu_**


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